Publication:
Income Inequality and Violent Crime : Evidence from Mexico's Drug War

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dc.contributor.authorEnamorado, Ted
dc.contributor.authorLópez-Calva, Luis-Felipe
dc.contributor.authorRodriguez Castelan, Carlos
dc.contributor.authorWinkler, Hernán
dc.date.accessioned2014-06-30T16:39:51Z
dc.date.available2014-06-30T16:39:51Z
dc.date.issued2014-06
dc.description.abstractThe relationship between income inequality and crime has attracted the interest of many researchers, but little convincing evidence exists on the causal effect of inequality on crime in developing countries. This paper estimates this effect in a unique context: Mexico's Drug War. The analysis takes advantage of a unique data set containing inequality and crime statistics for more than 2,000 Mexican municipalities covering a period of 20 years. Using an instrumental variable for inequality that tackles problems of reverse causality and omitted variable bias, this paper finds that an increment of one point in the Gini coefficient translates into an increase of more than 10 drug-related homicides per 100,000 inhabitants between 2006 and 2010. There are no significant effects before 2005. The fact that the effect was found during Mexico's Drug War and not before is likely because the cost of crime decreased with the proliferation of gangs (facilitating access to knowledge and logistics, lowering the marginal cost of criminal behavior), which, combined with rising inequality, increased the expected net benefit from criminal acts after 2005.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/06/19705699/income-inequality-violent-crime-evidence-mexicos-drug-war
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-6935
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/18825
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWorld Bank, Washington, DC
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPolicy Research Working Paper;No. 6935
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectASSET POVERTY
dc.subjectBURGLARY
dc.subjectCONFLICT
dc.subjectCONVICTION
dc.subjectCOUNTERFACTUAL
dc.subjectCOUNTRY LEVEL
dc.subjectCRIME RATE
dc.subjectCRIME RATES
dc.subjectCRIME STATISTICS
dc.subjectCRIMINAL
dc.subjectCRIMINAL ACTIVITIES
dc.subjectCRIMINAL ACTIVITY
dc.subjectCRIMINAL ACTS
dc.subjectCRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
dc.subjectCRIMINAL JUSTICE
dc.subjectCRIMINOLOGY
dc.subjectCROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS
dc.subjectCROSS-COUNTRY STUDIES
dc.subjectCROSS-SECTIONAL DATA
dc.subjectDATA SET
dc.subjectDEATHS
dc.subjectDECLINING INEQUALITY
dc.subjectDELINQUENCY
dc.subjectDEPENDENT VARIABLE
dc.subjectDESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS
dc.subjectDEVELOPED ECONOMIES
dc.subjectDEVELOPING COUNTRIES
dc.subjectDEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
dc.subjectDRUG
dc.subjectDRUG TRAFFICKERS
dc.subjectDRUG TRAFFICKING
dc.subjectDRUGS
dc.subjectECONOMETRIC MODELS
dc.subjectECONOMIC ACTIVITY
dc.subjectECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
dc.subjectECONOMIC REVIEW
dc.subjectEMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
dc.subjectEMPIRICAL LITERATURE
dc.subjectEMPIRICAL WORK
dc.subjectEXPLANATORY VARIABLE
dc.subjectFAMILY STRUCTURES
dc.subjectFINANCIAL CRISIS
dc.subjectFIREARMS
dc.subjectFOOD BASKET
dc.subjectFOOD POVERTY
dc.subjectFOOD POVERTY LINE
dc.subjectGANGS
dc.subjectGINI COEFFICIENT
dc.subjectHIGHER INEQUALITY
dc.subjectHOME
dc.subjectHOMICIDE
dc.subjectHOMICIDE RATE
dc.subjectHOMICIDE RATES
dc.subjectHOMICIDES
dc.subjectHOUSEHOLD INCOME
dc.subjectHOUSEHOLD PER CAPITA INCOME
dc.subjectHOUSEHOLD SURVEY
dc.subjectHOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
dc.subjectHUMAN CAPITAL
dc.subjectIMPACT OF INEQUALITY
dc.subjectIMPRISONMENT
dc.subjectINCOME
dc.subjectINCOME DIFFERENCES
dc.subjectINCOME DISTRIBUTION
dc.subjectINCOME GROWTH
dc.subjectINCOME INEQUALITY
dc.subjectINCOME POVERTY
dc.subjectINCOME REGRESSIONS
dc.subjectINCOMES
dc.subjectINCREASING INCOME INEQUALITY
dc.subjectINCREASING INEQUALITY
dc.subjectINEQUALITIES
dc.subjectINEQUALITY DATA
dc.subjectINEQUALITY LEVELS
dc.subjectINEQUALITY MEASURE
dc.subjectINEQUALITY MEASURES
dc.subjectKIDNAPPING
dc.subjectLABOR MARKET
dc.subjectLACK OF INFORMATION
dc.subjectLAW ENFORCEMENT
dc.subjectLINEAR REGRESSION
dc.subjectLITERACY
dc.subjectMARGINAL COST
dc.subjectMEAN INCOME
dc.subjectMEASUREMENT ERROR
dc.subjectMEDIAN INCOME
dc.subjectMURDER
dc.subjectMURDERS
dc.subjectNATIONAL DEFENSE
dc.subjectNEGATIVE CORRELATION
dc.subjectNEGATIVE EFFECT
dc.subjectNEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP
dc.subjectNET BENEFIT
dc.subjectOFFENSES
dc.subjectORGANIZED CRIME
dc.subjectPOLICY DISCUSSIONS
dc.subjectPOLICY RESEARCH
dc.subjectPOLITICAL ECONOMY
dc.subjectPOOR
dc.subjectPOOR INDIVIDUALS
dc.subjectPOSITIVE EFFECT
dc.subjectPOVERTY INCREASE
dc.subjectPOVERTY MAPS
dc.subjectPOVERTY MEASURE
dc.subjectPOVERTY MEASUREMENT
dc.subjectPOVERTY MEASURES
dc.subjectPOVERTY RATES
dc.subjectPOVERTY REDUCTION
dc.subjectPOVERTY STATUS
dc.subjectPROPERTY CRIMES
dc.subjectPUBLIC EXPENDITURE
dc.subjectPUBLIC EXPENDITURES
dc.subjectPUBLIC SPENDING
dc.subjectRAPE
dc.subjectREAL INCOME
dc.subjectREFUGEES
dc.subjectRISING INCOME INEQUALITY
dc.subjectRISING INEQUALITY
dc.subjectRURAL
dc.subjectRURAL AREAS
dc.subjectRURAL HOUSEHOLDS
dc.subjectRURAL POPULATION
dc.subjectSIGNIFICANT EFFECT
dc.subjectSOCIAL CAPITAL
dc.subjectSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
dc.subjectSOCIAL SCIENCE
dc.subjectSOCIAL STRUCTURE
dc.subjectTAXATION
dc.subjectTHEFT
dc.subjectTORTURE
dc.subjectVICTIMS
dc.subjectVIOLENCE
dc.subjectVIOLENT CRIME
dc.subjectVIOLENT CRIMES
dc.subjectWAR
dc.subjectWELFARE INDICATORS
dc.subjectWILL
dc.titleIncome Inequality and Violent Crime : Evidence from Mexico's Drug Waren
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.crosscuttingsolutionareaGender
okr.crossref.titleIncome Inequality and Violent Crime: Evidence from Mexico's Drug War
okr.date.disclosure2014-06-01
okr.date.doiregistration2025-04-10T11:16:50.239014Z
okr.doctypePublications & Research::Policy Research Working Paper
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/06/19705699/income-inequality-violent-crime-evidence-mexicos-drug-war
okr.globalpracticeSocial, Urban, Rural and Resilience
okr.globalpracticeGovernance
okr.globalpracticePoverty
okr.globalpracticeGovernance
okr.guid236161468299090847
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-6935
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum000158349_20140624090206
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum19705699
okr.identifier.reportWPS6935
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttp://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2014/06/24/000158349_20140624090206/Rendered/PDF/WPS6935.pdfen
okr.region.administrativeLatin America & Caribbean
okr.region.countryMexico
okr.topicPoverty Reduction::Rural Poverty Reduction
okr.topicSocial Development::Crime and Society
okr.topicPoverty Reduction::Inequality
okr.topicGender::Gender and Law
okr.topicServices and Transfers to Poor
okr.unitPoverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit, Latin America and the Caribbean Region
okr.volume1 of 1
relation.isAuthorOfPublication4a5ab8d0-522b-5033-8fc3-5372cdcf7860
relation.isAuthorOfPublication2617abbe-b7ff-5678-991a-85d4f9583656
relation.isAuthorOfPublication6b2974ae-b71a-507e-ad52-3881bd3a0605
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery6b2974ae-b71a-507e-ad52-3881bd3a0605
relation.isSeriesOfPublication26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
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